04 June 2024 | Stratos, a leading aircraft investment specialist and asset manager, today announces the delivery of a Boeing 737-800 on long term operating lease to SunExpress, a joint venture of Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines, in the frame of SunExpress’ continuous fleet expansion.

The aircraft (MSN 39006) is owned by a Japan-based investor and was recently redelivered from Norwegian and transitioned to SunExpress following Stratos’ take-over of the aircraft as asset manager. This process involved oversight of the redelivery of the aircraft, sourcing replacement CFM56-7B engines, raising a senior loan from PK Airfinance, securing a new lessee, structuring and managing the MRO and ferry actions required to deliver the aircraft to Türkiye.

Gary Fitzgerald, CEO of Stratos said “The Stratos team is delighted to welcome SunExpress as our newest airline partner. Reconstructing an aircraft which was the victim of a Covid-era restructuring has been an immense challenge and showcases the exceptional skills of our technical, legal, structuring, financing and commercial teams. In this respect, the SunExpress team has been extremely professional and collaborative and we look forward to a long and successful relationship.”

About SunExpress

Established in 1989 as a joint venture of Turkish Airlines and Lufthansa, SunExpress acts as a tourism ambassador between Türkiye and Europe with 35 years of experience and leisure airline expertise. SunExpress flies on 200 routes to 35 countries and carries more than 12 million passengers every year. With its headquarters in Antalya and Frankfurt and bases in Izmir and Ankara, SunExpress has more than 4000 employees and a fleet of 77 aircraft. SunExpress named the ‘Best Leisure Airline in Europe’ in the latest global survey by Skytrax. You may find detailed information about SunExpress at www.SunExpress.com.